Five years ago, Laura Tagasheva came to the US with a family who had adopted a Kazakh child. The family hoped Laura would make the transition process easier and she lived in Port Chester, NY for several years. However on August 4th 2007, she was attacked in an apparent random assualt on the street. The assailant(s) broke her neck and she could have been left for dead. Instead she did live, confined to a wheelchair as she is paralyzed from the neck down. She has remained in the US because the quality of healthcare is better than in Kazakhstan and because there are more options for the disabled as well. For the time being however, she is dependent on the kindness of strangers.

Besides being a horrible story, I personally feel connected not only because she is Kazakh but also because Port Chester is my old stomping ground. In fact if I remember correctly, Leonard Street (where she lives), is home to a It’s not the safest town in the world, but it’s hardly a haven of crime. It’s also a region that is surrounded by more wealthy neighbors like Greenwich, CT and Rye, NY. Great medical care in these well-off suburbs of New York City, but high bills for that care! So if you feel moved to help, check out her facebook page.

How to send money:
1. if you are in US and would like to write a check, please write a check to Madina Tagasheva. However, on the envelope, please put the name of Laura Tagasheva and her address. You can get Laura Tagasheva’s address by calling at +1(914) 907 3855 or emailing enlila@yahoo.com.

2. by PAYPAL
PayPal account: almaty.kazakhstan@yahoo.com

Also, you can call Laura at the following number: +1(914) 907 3855
Or email her at: enlila@yahoo.com

For any questions, feel free to contact Shakhnoza at shakhnoza@live.com

Also a more detailed article on Laura here.

And a sidenote to those surprised that such a typically English name like Laura is also a typical Kazakh name (or thinking that her real name is Lolita or Lyazzat and she took an American name), it turns out that the name Laura is typically Kazakh, but is pronounced La-URA, A and U as seperate vowels, stress on the U.